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Patterns in Nature
The patterns that can be found in nature are just amazing. Here’s a quick video to give you a sense…
Would you like to find out what patterns you can discover? Join us on the 20th at 1pm for the last in our nature journaling series: Patterns in Nature.
Hope to see you then!
Phenology Resources
Nature Journaling Workshop, Part II: Phenology
Nature Journaling Photos and Resources
Here’s a glimpse of our Intro to Nature Journaling workshop held this past Saturday:
Micro-worlds were unveiled, often overlooked details noticed with new eyes and excitement, and maybe even a new species of spider discovered!
Thank you to all who joined us. What a perfect it day it was to be out exploring the gardens!
P.S. We’ve created a new page on our blog dedicated to nature journaling resources. You are sure to find lots of useful information… Please be sure to check back regularly.
Remember, nature journaling is a practice to be done on a regular basis. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and will eventually become part of your routine. As our friend Roger says, “the longer you look, the more you will see” and the first step in understanding the natural world is to see.
Next workshops
Intro to Phenology, June 15th: Phenology is the observation and recording of the effects of seasonal changes on plants and animals. Join us to discover the joy and benefits of keeping a phenology journal.
Patterns in Nature, July 20th: You will be amazed at the patterns to be found all throughout nature and the influence they have had on the scientific, mathematical, and artistic worlds. Come see what patterns you can discover…
Monday Inspirations: Green
Hello again. Happy Monday. Are you looking forward to your week? We are definitely looking forward to our nature journaling workshop this Saturday. We sure hope to see you there…
Until then, we’re here to provide a little inspiration for working some nature exploration into your week. We promise it’ll be fun!
The following activities have been inspired by all the beautiful green growth outside as well as a lovely book titled Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Whether you are 3 or 93 or somewhere in between, give them a try and have fun!
- Matching Green: Have you seen our color walk cards in the childrens’ area? Would you like to have your own? Head to your favorite paint supplier and collect some paint chips. Try to choose shades of green close to what you have seen in nature. Punch holes in them and attach to a key ring. Head outside and see how many of them you can match.
- Creating Green: Put some green paint on a paint pallet or paper plate along with some white and black paint. Try slowly adding some white or black to the green and paint that color onto some paper. Now add a little more and add it to your painting. Experiment further by adding yellow, blue, and purple. What do your shades of green look like now? By the time you are done you’ll have a lovely green color study that just might be fridge worthy.
- Journaling Green: Now that you’ve experimented with making different shades of green, take your nature journal and paint supplies or colored pencils outside. Stop at a few different plants, draw a quick sketch, maybe add a description, and try to match the color. You’ll have captured the freshness of spring in your journal. Maybe you can even visit the same plant in the summer and see if the color has changed any…
A Great Day and Another Coming Up…
P.S. If you’d like to read more about nature journaling, check out my post here: The Art of Observation
Don’t forget to view the resources at the end.
It’s Getting Greener!
Garden Structures
We’re on the look out for simple, sturdy designs for garden structures that would fit in the TPL gardens. I ran across this site on a Google search: http://www.grandiflora.pro/cool-pics/structures-bridges-and-follies.
Here’s one that I think could be scaled down to for different purposes.
But I really like the idea of follies, something for garden decoration but suggesting another purpose, like a mini-castle or this stump cave.